Catch me on The Muppet Cast!

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to spend two days working at the 2009 Puppets Up! festival. I worked alongside some great puppeteers on the 'balcony". (More Below)
I didn't have the chance to see quite as many of the shows at the festival as I would have liked, but there are a few things I got to see that were just fantastic.

My favorite performance at the festival was presented by a Quebecois troupe called "Les Sages Fous". They did a night time street performance called "Bizzarium Aquarium". It was an incredibly inventive show that revolved around a large boat. The two puppeteers proceeded to "dive" into the pavement and discover a whole world of underwater creatures. There were aspects of the performance that incorporated mime and clown and a variety of styles of puppetry. You can see photos of the show on their official website here. If you ever have the chance to see "Le Sages Fous" I would highly recommend it.

Most of my time at the festival was spent on the balcony. This balcony was essentially a scaffolding mounted on a street corner and dressed to look like a balcony. The puppeteers were hidden within the contraption, equipped with mics and puppets we would more-or-less heckle the passers-by. It was great fun to interact with and poke fun at festival attendees of all ages!

Here are some pictures that show what I'm talking about! Puppeteers Jessica Fitzpatrick and Allen Martin perform a camel and a goldfish puppet.


The whole balcony crew was 5 puppeteers strong so there were lots of fun combinations of characters to see on the balcony.


Amidst all the puppet action that was going on in Almonte last weekend I also had a moment to chat with Steve Swanson. Steve hosts an awesome podcast called The Muppet Cast. He does a really wonderful job covering all things Muppets and Puppet for that matter. He has covered the festival previous years and I was more then happy to bring him a report right from the heart of the action for the 2009 edition. You can find the interview in Episode #122 of the Muppetcast, downloadable here or on iTunes.

Enjoy!

Bobbie the Boat Shoot

Wow, it has been almost a year since we shot this stuff, but I've come across some behind-the-scenes pictures from a shoot I did for the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary . It was a pilot project that aims at teaching children about the importance of boating and water safety. Bobbie the Safety Boat, the star of the project, is actually a large robotic character that interacts with people at various events and locations (boat shows, water fronts etc.) and also does presentations to kids about promoting water safety at school, scouts, etc. I got to perform Bobbie at a number of events and in these training videos a few years back and it was a lot of fun. (I'm featured more in video's 3 and 4.) He even has a water sprayer that can squirt water at people; best believe I had a good time with that.




What we were shooting was a series of PSA's that involve Bobbie, and some other puppet characters that I designed. The Bobbie puppet for the video's was build by Matt Fichner, and I built an additional 6 characters to round out the cast.




The 2-day shoot we did late last summer involved some PSAs I wrote for 5 of the characters to teach water safety. We shot them at a gorgeous lake-side location in Quebec. It was my first experience puppeteering in the water; it was a great learning experience. Jessica Fitzpatrick and I puppeteered assisted by my brother Nick. The finished PSAs have yet to see daylight, but I'll be sure and post them when they do. The best I can do for now is this clip that was put together to thank the folks who lent us their boat and dock.



Here are some shots from shooting in the water!




On a unrelated puppet note, Puppets Up! the international puppet festival is next weekend (Aug. 8th and 9th) in Almonte, ON. I'll be there with my puppets both days and I highly recommend you check it out if you are in the area. Information is here.

Creative Block

Don't worry, I'm not about to rant about not being able to express myself creativly, or whine about not knowing how to express myself...it's the name of a TV show.

An interview I gave on a CBC show called "Creative Block". It airs on CBC's digital HD channel Bold. I just got to see it and I was very please with the way it turned out. I'd highly reccommend checking out this show, they've got some really interesting guests, both established and up-and-comming. The show strives to showcase the cream of the Canadian arts and entertainment community. This season alone we met Sarah Slean, Michael Bublé, Great Big Sea, Belly, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Buck 65, Two Hours Traffic,Lynn Miles and Kellylee Evans, to name a few.

Last season my good friend Steffi D was also featured on the show. Be sure and catch Steffi in the National Tour of Spring Awakening, all the reviews have been phenominal.

Here is the interview. (Yes, that is my face behind the "Play" Button) Enjoy!

Bobby Graden / New Full-Length Episodes

Hey,

Kay, so as you may see I'm a little MIA. Well, now I'm back. Deal.

Here is the third, and final "promo video" for "Let's Put on a Show!" In this episode you will meet Bobby, best be ready to laugh.



OK Budda. (What's that from again?)

But, so the even bigger news is that in the next 48 hours, the first ever, full 'tube length, epic episode will air. We filmed it, its crazy, you'll love it. Editing it as we type, so stay tuned. Also keep in mind that Ben's Blog is your #1 source for all things "Let's Put on a Show!"! So stay tuned here for backstage pics, vids and more.

Also, watch this guy's vlog, so funny. Took me a while to find the truth about it all, snoop a little to find the true dish.

Let's Put on a Show - Chris Woods

"This has the potential to be a nostalgic Dish!" - The Broadway Dish

"Totally intriguing new youtube series." - Andrew's Blog

"OMG BEN DUROCHER! You, boy, will always be perfection. I totes loved you on Triple Sensation!" Anonymous Youtube Poster

THE REVIEWS ARE IN!

Let's Put on s Show is one of the most exciting musical-theatre-related series on the 'tube since this, and I'm loving it. The second teaser is out, and available for viewing below. AND a little birdie tells me there will be another brand new teaser out this weekend.

If your not already, become a fan of this show on facebook. AND subscribe to the vids on youtube, it's TOTES worth it.



AND don't forget to mark May 4th on your calender, that is the day the first full-length episode will debut!

"totes." - Andrew's Blog